House by the road. Stebliv (?) 1956

Hryhorii Havrylenko made this line drawing, titled 'House by the road. Stebliv (?),' with ink on paper, imagining a small dwelling on the edge of the road. I can almost feel the artist sketching en plein air, quickly capturing the scene as if he had a limited amount of time. The trees, with their scribbled foliage, look like they are swaying in the breeze. The house has an inviting, almost fairytale-like quality. I imagine Havrylenko wanting to evoke the feeling of home. There's a lovely, naive quality to the work. I bet Havrylenko enjoyed the spontaneity of the drawing, not worrying too much about detail, but rather focusing on the essence of the landscape. This work reminds me of other rural landscape paintings of that era, and speaks to a history of artists finding inspiration in the simple beauty of the countryside.